Safe From Harm
by MarcelinaRose
Summary: Before Petunia's OCD had reached its peak, Handy steps in just in time to help her with her situation. Alternate outcome of Wishy Washy. Takes place after Some Chemicals Have Good Results. Part of my AU.


Chapter 1

 **This might as well be one of the only HTF fics I write that has a straight ship(well the FlipFlak one kind of counts but it's still a yaoi since Flaky turned into a boy). Anyway this is my perspective on an alternate outcome with the episode _Wishy Washy_. You know, the episode where Petunia's OCD is all over the walls, and she skins herself alive with a potato peeler. Yeah that one. Point is, this is what I think would have happened if something, or should I say some _one_ came at the right time and stopped her.**

 **(This story is a part of my AU. All of the information for it is in my bio).**

 **I own nothing of Happy Tree Friends. All credit goes to Mondo Media.**

Handy started to pull up towards the house with a concerned look in his eyes. It had been a while since he had visited Petunia and wanted to see how she was doing. He had heard that Lumpy was going over to check on her plumbing, and knowing Petunia, she wasn't sitting still. She was probably breathing into a bag to calm herself down and pacing around in a hallway. Luckily, he could be there for emotional support.

He slammed the truck door shut behind him as he approached the already open door. The red-head lifted an eyebrow and just as soon as he steps into the house, he hears a scream of terror, no doubt belonging to Petunia. Without wasting time he rushed into the hall to see the bluenette girl dashing out of the bathroom covered in a strange green liquid from head to toe. "Petunia!" She ignored him as she continued screaming and headed into the kitchen. Handy followed shortly after, knowing exactly what would happen if this went on. Once he entered the room, he saw her throw what looked like steel wool across the room, seeing that the side of her face and arm were completely red and somewhat bleeding. His eyes widened once he saw a potato peeler clutched in her hand and heard a cackle from her.

In a flash, Handy had grabbed her by the wrist, snatching the peeler out of her hand and throwing it to the side. "Petunia stop!"

"Let me go!" She screeched in response as she tried to escape his hold. Handy held her in place as she struggled, screaming some nonsense about how she needed to be clean. The red-head had tried to snap her out of it, but to no avail, she screamed at the sight of her appearance. Handy would have given up if it wasn't for his feelings for the bluenette. The more she struggled, the more Handy believed that he would let her go out of pity.

The house grew silent as Petunia's eyes widened at a pair of lips crashing onto hers, Handy wrapping arms around her and pulling her close. After a moment, he pulled back to look at the frightened expression on the face in front of him. "Don't get so worked up. You can shower at my place."

"R-Really?" Handy nodded as he pulled the girl out of the house and towards his truck. Every once in a while, he would see her begin to fidget in her chair, and squeezed her hand to calm her down every once in a while. He wanted to know what had happened, but he knew he wasn't going to get an answer when she's like this. He decided to wait until after she got cleaned up.

It took him longer than usual to return home throughout the course of calming down the bluenette. Once they stepped out of the truck, Handy lead her inside and into the bathroom. "Leave your clothes outside the door and I'll take care of the rest. Go get cleaned up." Petunia nodded before closing the door behind her as Handy decided to head into the kitchen to make some tea for the two. The red-head was glad he was able to stop her from killing herself, and it made him happy in some sort of way.

An hour later, he headed back to the bathroom to check on Petunia, wanting to know if she was feeling better now that she's clean. He knocked on the door gently and called out. "You alright now?"

"Y-Yes. Thank you. A-Although there's one problem: D-Do you have anything I can change into?" Handy could have sworn he felt heat rising in his cheeks at the request. He had almost forgotten that the bluenette did not have an extra set of clothes with her because of her ordeal, and the thought of her wearing his clothes made him blush harder. "S-Sure. Give me a sec."

Handy made a quick trip to his room to grab a shirt and a pair of boxers before returning to the hall and handing the clothes to the outstretched arm coming for the bathroom. "Thank you."

"No problem." The door closed behind her and Handy leaned against the wall with crossed arms, relieved that Petunia didn't see the growing blush on his face. It wasn't long before the bluenette exited the bathroom to face the red-head. Handy jerked his head away, but kept his gaze on her. "Y-You look nice. Better than you being covered in something messy." Petunia nodded as she pulled the shirt over herself. Handy blushed before heading into the kitchen. "I made some tea if you want some."

"I-I'd like that." Petunia followed him into the living room and sat on the couch as the red-head made his way into the kitchen. The bluenette looked around, noticing that everything seemed perfect to her liking, and now the thought has crossed her mind, she had never been inside of the male's place. She thought that he never had any time to invite her over, considering all of the death that is constantly around the town. Petunia lowered her head and placed her hands in her lap with a blush. Wearing Handy's clothes was probably one of the most embarrassing things she had ever done, even if they were dating.

After a few moments, the red-head returned with a steaming mug and handed it to the bluenette, who nodded to him as a sign of thanks. She took a quiet sip, relaxation beginning to envelop her and she leaned back. Petunia smiled and set the mug in her lap, tilting her head back with a sigh. "Thank you. I needed that."

"I'm glad to help," Handy took the seat next to her and held one leg in his lap. "Now, mind telling me how the hell you got in this situation?" The bluenette lowered her head and closed her eyes. "Well, I had finished cleaning my mirror and I flushed the paper I used down the toilet, and when I went to wash my hands, the water stopped all of a sudden. So, that's when I called Lumpy."

Handy couldn't help but stare at her in disbelief, placing his face in a palm and shaking his head. An audible sigh was heard from him, and Petunia turned her head. "What is it?"

"Was it a lot of toilet paper?" Petunia nodded, having Handy groan in annoyance. "That's gonna clog up a toilet if you use too much. And was it okay to call Lumpy? I mean, he is expecting a baby for God's sake."

"Lumpy. . . . feels a bit guilty about the New Years party, so he tries to avoid Russell sometimes," Handy lifted an eyebrow at this, but listened to the bluenette as she continued. "And he insisted that he comes over." It explained why Russell seemed a bit distraught and thought that Lumpy was getting tired of him. The red-head remembered talking to the pregnant pirate just a few days ago, and he noticed dried tears on the smaller male's cheeks. He assured the bluenette that Lumpy didn't hate him and still wanted them to be together.

Handy stood up and stretched before turning to the girl next to him. "Want me to check it out? I have more experience than Lumpy, so I have a higher chance of not being killed."

"But-"

"Trust me. I know what I'm doing." He placed a finger on her lips to silence her before pulling away. "I'll be back soon." Petunia could only nod as Handy began to make his way out the door. "Call me if you need anything." With a quick peck on the lips, he closed the door behind him.

* * *

Once the moon was high in the sky, Petunia glanced at the clock to see how late it was, noticing that Handy hadn't come back yet. She wanted to see if he was alright, but her home was a few ways away, and the thought of returning home frightened her. She pulled her knees closer to her as she was reminded of the mess in the basement, and almost imagined what would have happened if Handy hadn't stopped her from killing herself.

She jerked up when she heard the door slam, and turned around to see an exhausted Handy, also covered in green. Petunia grew pale, and nearly fainted from the sight. "I know this looks really, really bad. So before you freak out, I'll take a shower and explain later." Without another word, he darted out of the room and left the dumbstruck Petunia on the couch.

He returned an hour later in clean clothes and ran a hand through his hair with a sigh. "Feel better?"

"Y-Yes," Petunia lowered her head and gazed at the floor. "You know, I feel as though this has happened before."

"What has?"

"I mean what happened today with Lumpy," She responded while closing her eyes. "It all felt so familiar, like deja vu. It's all happened before, only I did kill myself and you weren't there. I don't know if it was real, but it's scary to think about."

"It was probably because you were freaking out so much about how dirty you were," The red-head replied calmly, tilting his head back to glance at the ceiling. "Was only your imagination."

"Handy I'm being serious!" He heard the distress in her voice and saw her place her face in her hands. "And this isn't the only time. I've felt this way for a while: when you built that treehouse for me, when Giggles and I had a picnic and Disco Bear killed us, when Toothy and I were caught up in that giant snowball that Splendid tried to stop, all of it. It all felt like it had happened before, but I don't know where!" She paused, a few tears beginning to swell in her eyes. "Why is this even happening!? I don't get it!"

She whimpered quietly, and Handy couldn't help but feel bad for her, but she did have a point. There were times where he experienced events that also felt familiar to him. It was most likely happening to the others as well, although he wasn't too sure. Handy cautiously pulled the girl in his arms in an attempt to calm her down. "Try not to worry about it," He soothed. "Why don't you get some sleep? You've had a rough day."

Petunia nodded, but only continued to hold onto the red-head. "Can I sleep with you tonight? I don't want to be alone." Handy didn't want to frighten her more, so he couldn't help but say yes. He lead the girl upstairs into his bedroom, closing the door behind him. Petunia took her hair out of its usual ponytail before crawling into bed with the red-head following shortly. Handy rested his head on top of hers and closed his eyes, slowly beginning to fall asleep until a few words drove him awake.

"I love you."

He was surprised that he wasn't the one who spoke, but it was the bluenette he was holding. Handy looked down with a dumbstruck face as Petunia glanced up at him with a smile. "You haven't said it to me all day, so I thought that I would beat you to it." Handy didn't know what to say as the bluenette then leaned closer, and he wasted no time in pressing their lips together. The two stayed still for a few moments before pulling apart, a faint blush on both faces. "Night." Petunia giggled before nuzzling her face into the pillow.

"Yeah. Night." Handy pulled her into his arms and closed his eyes for a second time, shifting himself somewhat before finally succumbing to his dreams.


End file.
